The Fabulous Games ~The Goodbyes
The goodbyes to the families of 12 tributes after the reapings. Jade I sat in the room, this room is remarkably different from the ones around town. Much more rich in fabric, and I thought the citizens of District 1 already had the best the Districts have. Guess there's better still. I have an hour before leaving on the train to speak to my loved ones, and wish all of them goodbye. The first to enter is my father. "Jade, why on Earth did you volunteer?! What has convinced you to do something so...So insane?" "Father, I have no doubt in my mind that I will be returning home to District 1 after these games. None of these people train themselves, I do. You think they'll be any match for someone who's been training since she was a little girl?" "No Jade, I don't think they will. But there's still the chance of you getting killed! Have you ever thought of what that would do to your mother and I? How could you be so selfish?" "Selfish?! I saved a girls life. She's at home right now, with her family, happy. I saved her, and I'm going to win these games for District 1 father. A careerer wins almost every year, what makes you think I can't?" "Because you may be trained, but you don't have size on your hand. Once those other careerer decide it's time to break the bond you'll be first to die! Don't you understand?" At this moment, he was crying in front of me. I've never seen him cry. "Jade, we just don't want to watch you die on live television" I finally start to feel cold. "Then don't watch" After I've said this the peacekeeper comes in and tells us our time is up, and he guides my father out of the room. The next visitor is my mother. "Why Jade?" she cries as she grabs onto me. She's holding me tightly and continues. "Why would you do this Jade? That girl owed you nothing, and you volunteered for her! Why? Tell me why Jade!" "Because I can do it" "But what if you can't!?" "You've seen me train!" "But what if they don't have the weapons you need?!" "Then I'll improvise!" "But Jade!" "Mother! There is no arguing this, it's too late. I've volunteered, and I'll be going into that arena. You can't do anything to stop it" "I know" The peacekeeper is already knocking on the door, and my mother is still weeping as she leaves. The final person to enter is my younger brother. "Jade...You're arrogance will be the death of you. I know you train, but you really think you can go up against 23 other kids? You don't even know who the competition is! All you know is the scrawny kid Jack who's probably in the other room crying his eyes out right now! Jade how can you be so naïve? You're going to die in there and you God damn know it!" "I won't die, and you'll be caught watching every move. Your sister will be returning to District 1 a winner. Now if you're judging me. I'd like to ask you to leave" "Fine" My brother storms out of the room before the peacekeepers come to get him. That's the last of my visitors, and the peacekeepers come into the room. They guide me out of the building to the train station. I see my competition now. My brother was right, he has been crying. In a weak voice he says to me "Good luck" I could only think of one reply to him. "Thanks. You'll need it"... Nadiah I get guided away from the platform by the peacekeepers. But I am anxious to get away from the monstrous boy that is now my competition. They try to keep up with me but I've already sped my way into the room and await my visitors. The first to enter the room to wish me farewell is my sister. She runs into the room and embraces me immediately. "Nadiah, I can't believe they've let this happen to you. Why you? Why!? You've always been the good one. Why must you have been chosen t o die?" "You're not really helping me right now...I'm already terrified just because of that monstrous boy across the hall. Now I have the fact my sister thinks I'm going to die in the arena over my head as well? That's very pleasant, thank you for telling me you expect to watch me die. Thank you for that" My sister is rather stunned at my reaction. "Nadiah, you're fast, you're smart. I don't expect you to be killed immediately, you could make it, if you try." "I will try!? Do you expect me to topple over and die on the ground in front of them? Just let them kill me before I even get a chance to run? I'll join the careerers, and once that alliance breaks I'll take out as many as I can before I get the hell out of there. Even If I die in there, I'll make sure I die with honor. I won't make this District ashamed!" "You promise me that Nadiah, you promise to me that you'll make us proud, no matter the outcome." "I promise" The peacekeepers come in and take my sister out of the room from me. The next to step in are both my parents. My mother holds me as she weeps, and my father sits on the chair across from me with his head in his hands. I can see he's trying to hold the tears. "Nadiah…" My mother can barely say a word to me. But my father is still able to speak. "Nadiah dear, don't cry. You need to appear strong. That way they'll save you for later and go after the weak ones first" My father speaks wise words, but I don't see how holding back my tears can help me. I decide to save them for later. "Nadiah...You may not return...But you will still find a way to make us proud. Won't you dear?" "Yes mother" "We can't stay any longer dear" The peacekeepers opened the door and dragged my mother and father out of the room. The peacekeepers tell me I have no more time for visitors, and they guide me to the train station out back. I see the monstrous boy, smirking like a maniac. He comes up to me and snarls "I hope your blood doesn't stain my outfit" "Drop dead" The boy is with drawn from the comment, and says to me. "We'll see who's first"… Perry I can't believe this has happened. I'm still standing here. Too frozen in fear to move even the slightest movement. But I'm knocked out of my comfortable freeze by a rough peacekeeper. The man pushes me by my shoulders and shoves me into the room. The room in which I'll say goodbye to my loved ones. And then never see them again. I sit on the couch, and await my family's appearance. The first to enter is father. "You're winning this" I'm too stunned to find a reply in time. "You are winning these games." "What?! I've just been given a commercial death sentence, and you're telling me this?! Who do you think you are?!" "I am your father, and what I say goes. If you don't like it, then you die. If you do like, you come back a winner. Should you die in these games your body will be turned away, and left out for the rodents to eat you hear me?" "No, I don't hear you. If I die, I die. If you decide to desecrate the body then so be it. You're a sick and vile man, that I've been forced to call my 'father' all these years. Yet you've never cared about me for one moment have you? You've only cared about what I can get you" "How dare you say those things to me I am your fathe-" "Were my father, now. You're nothing" The peacekeepers hear the screaming and charge in. My father is on the verge of screaming at me. And the peacekeepers drag him away. As he's being dragged away he screams at me "You are no longer a Dahl! You horrible street rat!" and the door slams shut. My mother is next to enter. "Perry don't take what your father says personally. He just wants you to win so badly" "Is that all you two care about? Me winning and coming home with the reward so you two don't have to work another day every again and all you have to do is sit on your ass and watch the servants wait on you hand and foot? Is that it?" "Perry no, we want you to come home we don't care about the reward" "Bullshit. You two have never cared about me, why the hell should I believe you now?" "Because I am your mother. We are your parents, you have been listening for us for 17 years! And you choose now to disobey us?" "You call yourself parents? You're miserable leaches who are a disgrace to this District, this country, and this planet. I hope the ball drops hard when you realize what monsters you two really are." My mother cannot take my ranting anymore, and I feel her hand contact my face. I fall to the ground, and in a moments notice I tackle her to the ground. "What kind of mother does this to her daughter when she's going to die?! You are horrid people, and I hope you die slowly, and painfully!" My mother pushes me off of her and storm out the door. The last person to visit me is my girlfriend Lena. "You have to get back Perry. You just have to. They're not letting me stay here long, but I know you can do this. You have to come back to District 4. For me" She's scared now, and I can tell she wants me to come home. "I know that you want me to come back but I-" The peacekeeper comes in the room in a hurry. "Times up girly" He drags Lena out of the room before I can say anything. "Perry!" "Lena!" But it's too late. The door shuts. And I'm left in here alone, crying for the life I can never have back….. Kerwin What has happened? I...I can't believe I've been reaped. This can't be happening. It can't. It has to be a dream, but it's far too real. I open my eyes, and I see the peacekeeper. He's directing me towards the meeting room. I wait here, and I wait for my loved ones to say goodbye to me. I sit on the couch and wait several minutes for everything to come to pieces. And my first visitor is my mother. "Kerwin. I'm not the optimistic one, so I'll set it to you straight. I don't believe you'll be making it out of the arena alive son. You have skills, but I don't think you can do it. I'm sorry son." "Mother, how….How can you say that to me? I'm already terrified, you think I don't know I won't make it out alive? I'm not the strongest person. I'm the prey now. I can't rely on traps, because I don't have them. This isn't a giant pond in which I can cast my net and get them all Mother. I know my fate isn't coming home." "I'm so sorry son" I can see she's ready to cry. She embraces me one last time before the peacekeepers take her out the door and away from me. The next visitor is my grandmother. "Kerwin" "Grandmother" "Kerwin. I know what your mother has said to you, and I know you have no confidence in your skills. But you need to, you're not the weakest person alive. You're a hunter, not prey. You don't have any traps? Make some. You feel alone? Make an alliance. You're from District 4. Join the careerers then stab them in the back. You have to go lower then you've ever gone if you hope to go home. And you need to come home to carry on the name. You can't deny that. Do you see any siblings? Or cousins? Do you see your father around making another? He's gone. It's up to you to come home Kerwin." "Grandmother, how...I just….I can't. I can't go low. I can't turn my back on people who needed me. I can't just turn around and stab them dead when they're least expecting it." "You have to." The door opens, and I can hear the screaming in another room. My grandmother hobbles out of the room, and my last visitor comes in. "Sarah? Why are you here?" "Because I know you can't come back. We all want you to come back but there's no guarantee you will. I want you to come back. So you will." "Well aren't you bold today?" "You're coming back. No matter what." The peacekeeper comes in the room and Sarah leaves the room. The peacekeeper leads me out of the room towards the train station. I see the girl there, she's crying hard. I wonder what happened in her room. It really doesn't matter. I finally feel it. I could win this thing….But I'd have their blood on my hands…. Sarah The peacekeepers push me off stage and guide me towards the Justice Building. I don't know why they're doing so but they explain. I'm to go into a room and say goodbye to my loved ones, for possibly the last time ever. I sit in the room and nervously shake my hands. The door creeks open and the first visitor is my father. As I go to my feet he quickly embraces me and I can tell he doesn't want to let go of me. He's crying, and I can hear him. He let's go of me, and looks me in the eyes. "Sarah look at me" I don't know what he's doing but I can tell he's urgent. "Sarah look! You know I was in the arena year's ago. I made it out alive, and I made District 7 proud. You can do the same. You may be a small girl, but you're not fragile. You can be as tough as nails if you need to be, and trust me Sarah you need to. Don't cry, don't cry for me, your mother, any of your siblings, friends, anyone. They'll target you if you cry. You're strong. Show them you're strong, show them if they go after you. You'll attack them without hesitation. You have to shatter their sense of what they know about you if you even hop to survive this!" I don't know how to respond to my father, but I can tell he's serious. He's telling me, in order to win. I have to lose myself in the process. "But Dad! There's no chance I could win and you now it! I'm not strong enough, I can't lose myself like that. Not like you did! I know you're trying to protect me and keep me alive but you can't always protect me! I'm sorry!" My father just broke down in front of me. He went to his knees and burst into tears. I quickly embraced him and cried with him. "I'll try dad. I'll do everything I'm possible to win this and get home" My father couldn't let go of me. So the rest of the time with him I continued to embrace him. The peacekeepers came into the room and looked at me with pity. My father didn't want to leave, and he was refusing. The peacekeepers didn't want to deal with him, but he was putting up a fight. A peacekeeper grabbed him by the neck and forcibly dragged him out. He continued to thrash and scream. And the door slammed shut. But I could still hear them fire that gun. My mother burst through the door nearly immediately after. "MOM WHAT HAPPENED?!" "They shot him…" My mother immediately was crying. This was too much for her. Her daughter is going to die. And then her husband is shot in front of her. What kind of world is this? She doesn't say much, she just continues to embrace me, and cry. Before we know it another peacekeeper has entered the room and my mother is whisked away from me. Out of my grasp forever….. Category:Owned By Max Category:Don't Touch It